01. Kiss Of Death02. Night Of Violence03. Overdose04. Gotta Get Out05. Point Of No Return06. Vertigo07. Make Em Bleed08. Hunt You Down09. Uproar10. In Disguise11. Terror Alert: High12. XXV3

I realize that there are people out there who think that the noise that Atari Teenage Riot has been making during the last decade or so is nothing short of pure genius; however, to me it always seemed that the hype surrounding these German techno-anarchists was a little out of place. Granted, their mix of jungle beats with hardcore techno, metal guitars and the occasional corrosive Merzbow-esque noise'o'rama proved to be quite an influential hybrid that many bands have copied since but then again, ATR albums always seemed to lack the sort of consistency that would make them bona fide timeless classics.

This is where Alec Empire's Futurist comes in. Finally, the DHR camp has released an album that I enjoy completely throughout and can't stop listening to. Unlike most of Empire's solo work and the ATR albums he contributed to, Futurist is a very concise and focused record. Instead of trying to throw every possible clashing musical element into a blender, Empire and Nic Endo (an ATR cohort of his) just cranked up the guitars on this album, and it works. The effect is an unapologetically raw and aggressive mix of punk, metal and electronica that is as addictive as it is brilliant. Everything is misleadingly simple, based mostly on three chord progressions and screamed vocals. Beneath this layer of simplicity; however, there is quite a complex beast and music that is obviously very carefully designed and meticulously crafted. Just check out the explosive track "Gotta Get Out" - starting with a punk riff and Empire's acerbic vocals, the song progresses into a thrashy bridge and climaxes with the unmistakable techno beat of a real electronic wizard. "Night Of Violence" might be even better with its catchy shout-along refrain, although frankly the entire album is extremely good.

Its been a long time since I heard something as fresh and thirsty for blood as Futurist in the realms of industrial metal or rock. Get this record.

Written on 08.11.2006 byjupitreas
With Metal Storm since 2002, jupitreas has been subjecting the masses to his reviews for quite a while now. He lives in Warsaw, Poland, where he does his best to avoid prosecution for being so cool.